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@twitch gieten @aient-@ffice ALFREi) It. STANLEY, 0F BOSTON,.MASSACHUSETTS Letters Patent No. 76,291, dated March 31,1868,

IMPROVEMENT IN E OOPjSKIRTS.,

.To `ALL wnoM 1T MAY conocen;

Be itknowu that I, Ai,1vnEn R. STANLEY, .of Boston, in the .State ofMassachusetfs,have invented .afnewand usefullmprovement in Ladies.IIoop-Skirts; and; I do h'er'eby 'declare that the following is a full,clear, and

exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawingmlmaking part of this. specification, in whichi i Figure 1isanhelevatio'n of a skirt, representing two modes of application of mysaid improvement. Figure 2, alongitudinal section oiithat partV of-.oncof the hoops where the vtwo ends are united and clasped; and i i Figurerepresents inV section, longitudinal and cross, another o'f the modes of.application of my said improvement.

Figs. 2 and 3 are drawn on a large scale.

The same letters. indicate like parts in, all theiigures# ,In themanufaeture'of hoop-skirts, the connecting-'ends of each hoop aregenerally united by. a metal-clasp,- wh'ch surrounds 'the lappedportions of the hoop-wire,and is intended to afford a substantialsecurity against any tendency :of the ends to separate, the clasp beinglgenerally struck down upon or ben't withthe wirein such manner. as tolock 'the partsirmly together. I

vThe edges of these clasps, however, yare-more or -less sharp-orjagged,y and catch into the clothing-of the wearer. To remedy this,thetapes'of manj skirts are made or woven alternately double and single,toA form tubes or pockets, which receive-and cover the`metal clasp; but,though said pockets'. answer the purpose of cov' ering tlie'clasps, themanner in which the `skirts have been madehas rendered such use of themvery objection able. In such cases the ends of the hoops'bave beenunited simply by lapping the ends with'ina metall-ic tube, and the' tubesimply squeezed or clasped, and then inserted in 'the'pocket of one ofthe'tapes. In consequence ofthis imperfect union, the ends are very aptto become disengaged from the clasp while the skirt in .being` worn,

muclito the annoyanceand trouble of the wearer.

To remedy these diiiculties is the object of my invention, whichconsistsjiu irst giving ashortbend tothe metallic Vtube or clasp, and tothe two lapped ends oi" the ho'opwith'ii it, so that they cannot bedrawn 'out or separated without bursting open the metal cla'spandcovering the metallic clasp with a non-metallictube, or pocket fastenedthereon.

In the accompanying drawings, a represents the waistband of a skeletonskirt; Z? b, the tapes "woven alter-1 nately as a single and as adouble-cloth to form pockets for the reception of the hoops c c. whichare covered with braid in the usual manner. In making the skirt, each'hoop, in succession, isinserted inthe pockets d of the tapes, a metallictube or u clasp', e, slipped on to one of the ends, the two ends.lapped, as represented in' the sect-ions, 'iigssiand 8, the'metallic'tu'oe eslipped over them, and then, by means of a suitable toolor instrument, thetube and lapped4 portions of thevhoop bent in a shortcurve, as representednt forming a slight protuberanceon one side, and acorresponding cavity on the other. When thus united, the two en ds of,the hoop cannot b'ejseparated. 'The part of the hoop thus claspedan'dunted is then inserted in one of .the pockets d o f one of the tapes`Z, and therein secured by sewing, as represented ,at h l The threadpassing into the'cavity, and each side of the protuberance ,'willeii'ectually'prevent the hoop from being drawn out of the pocket yallthese operations'being performed on the former, and the skirt beingcompleted before reinovalfr'om the former-frame; and, .although I dee-mthis the best mode of securing the jointed: portion of --the Ahoop inthepocketsof .the tapeSr-otherend' i equivalent modes may be substituted.

In cases in which the pockets of; the tapes. 'are. not usedias acovering to the metallic clasp bywhich the ends of the hoops are united,as, when single tapes areused, I use a tube,7c, made ofrbrai'ded 'orwoven fabriciof greater length than the metal tube, so that `whenslipped on andsecured, it will overlap the braiding .on the' hoop. Thiscovering may be` secured in place by sewing ccme nt ing, 'or otherwise,'and if' 'made ofiin elastic material, it -will adapt itselfto theprot'uberan'cc andcavity'of the cla-sp, and thereby retain its place. Atube oi' vulcanized India rubber,'of a suitable color, 'maybe used forthat purpose. l

ain alware thatheloeklelasp is no1: new, and that al staghb clasphee-:been inserled in -the pocket of-the tapeg'and retalned by's'pengles, as shown` in -the p zitnt of -Waterfmanj of 1864. I. do not,therefo're, wish't be understood es' claiming veeparaAcelyeither ofthese feutuxfes; no'rdo Ielaimv any other4 method thenfchet. speefedhereinhefcnjegxbei: Y

What I claim asew, and desire to s ecure by Letlens Patent, s- .l Themethod' of manufacturing hoop-skirts herein degrb'ed, that is to sauntingthe ends of the wires by means ef the lock-.clasps hereindescribed, and enclosing ead clasps i'n the pockete of 'the'tapes orequivalent4 I also cleimglas a new manufacture; a. h op-skiri with the-.ende of thevres united togethe by the lock# cl'aspe herein described.,and se-id clasps enclesedin vthe pockets of the tripes) or theequivalent ther-eef, ulll'eub#V stantially es herein described. l

' ALFRED R. STANLEY.

.Witnessesz ANDREW DE'LcY; WM. H. BISHOP,

